Oral medicine in practice: viral infection

The fourth article in this series deals with viral infections which may present in the dental surgery. Two groups of viruses, herpes and coxsackie, are responsible for the majority of viral conditions involving the orofacial region which present to the dentist. Mucosal ulceration is the most frequent clinical presentation, although viruses may also be responsible for salivary gland swelling or epithelial hyperplasia. Diagnosis of viral infection is important, since treatment which can alleviate symptoms and reduce the likelihood of spread of infection is available. In addition, the recognition of intra-oral viral infection can have serious implications, since it may be an indication of underlying conditions such as leukaemia, HIV infection or child abuse.